Volume 3 Chapter 37
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I crawled out of the crater I’d made after pulverizing the Black Dragon.
”W-Wait, I’m sorry,” the eldest of the Kosaka brothers stammered, kneeling in the dirt before me. “I’ll surrender quietly, just please, spare me!”
Honestly, I didn’t have any strong feelings toward this one, unlike the other two. If he wanted to surrender, that was fine by me.
”Fine,” I said, my voice neutral. “In that case, the Mayor of ‘New Tokyo’ should be around here somewhere. Can you go turn yourself in to her?”
Just as I turned my back to glance toward the Guild Master’s position, it happened.
”You fool… take this!”
The eldest Kosaka had lunged up, hurling something at me. I could have dodged it, sure, but I felt a flicker of curiosity, so I decided to catch it instead.
”Oh, wow,” I murmured, feeling the weight. “I can’t move my body.”
”Heh-heh-heh!” the eldest Kosaka cackled, his voice thick with the arrogance of the street. “That’s a1 [Paralysis Potion] from a rare dungeon treasure chest! Items from those chests are way more potent than the knock-offs! Not even you can resist this!”
”Huh,” I said, testing the sensation. “You’re right. I’m actually paralyzed. This is pretty impressive.”
”Good! Then I’ll beat you half to death, use you as a hostage to save my brothers… Phase Four Skills: Mass Summoning!”
Responding to his command, a flood of Phase Five monsters materialized. It was a skill that allowed him to summon a horde of monsters, albeit lower-tier ones. Being swarmed by that many Phase Five creatures actually looked somewhat imposing. It would be a real headache for any normal person.
”Heh-heh,” he sneered, swaggering toward me. “How does it feel, being surrounded by this many monsters while you can’t move a muscle? Despairing yet?”
”Not really?” I replied. “Why would I be?”
As soon as he was within range, I forced my arm to move and grabbed his wrist.
”…Eh?”
”Look, this potion is strong, I’ll give you that,” I explained calmly. “But paralysis just makes your body sluggish; it doesn’t mean it’s completely locked up. For someone like me, even if it’s hard to move, I can still move well enough to—huff!”
”Gahhhhhhh!!”
I drove a fist straight into his solar plexus. Usually, I have to be incredibly careful with someone like him, or he’d just explode into mist, but since I’m paralyzed, my output is naturally limited—it’s just the right amount of force. That’s how little this [Paralysis Potion] matters to me.
”Hii, huff, hah, hah…”
He gasped for air, breaking into a cold sweat. It’s a little pitiful, but he did try to pull a fast one, so he can deal with the stomach ache.
”By the way, I can still use skills even if I’m fully immobilized, you know,” I added, looking down at him. “If I used Instant Death Pressure Point, you’d have popped like a balloon the second I touched you.”
I hadn’t actually tried that technique yet, but logically, it should have made him burst just like the monsters. I don’t intend to use it, but if my life were actually on the line, it’d be a different story. The only reason he didn’t turn into a bloodstain is that I was able to move normally, even under the effects of that potion.
”And another thing… if the Black Dragon didn’t work, summoning a bunch of Phase Five monsters won’t change anything. You seem to collect monsters that specialize in status effects, but those skills don’t work when the gap in strength is this wide.”
Some monsters have abilities to petrify or paralyze, but those special attacks only trigger if their internal Dungeon Energy is comparable to the target’s. A Phase Six explorer isn’t going to get hit by a status effect from a Phase Five monster. And I, even setting aside my Pressure Point ability, possess Dungeon Energy at the bottom layer of Phase Six.
”So, yeah…”
I moved at a speed that vanished from his vision, even with my body still supposedly paralyzed, and sent the Phase Five monsters back into smoke one by one. To me, a Phase Five monster is no different from a Phase Two. One punch, and they’re gone.
By the time I finished clearing the horde, the effects of the potion were already wearing off. Being unable to move for long would be a pain when clearing Phase Six dungeons, but it seemed the effect was only temporary for me.
”Well then,” I said, turning back to him. “I’ll leave the eldest with the Guild Master, and go check on the others.”
I dragged the groaning, stomach-clutching Kosaka-eldest back toward the rear, where the Guild Master was currently taking command.
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Summary:
The protagonist emerges from a crater after defeating the Black Dragon to find the eldest Kosaka brother begging for mercy. The antagonist attempts a desperate ambush using a paralysis potion and monster summoning, but the protagonist remains unfazed due to his superior strength. After swiftly neutralizing the threat, the protagonist drags the defeated enemy back to the Guild Master while contemplating his next move.
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Trivia:
The protagonist’s ability to move while paralyzed reveals the sheer gap in his Dungeon Energy compared to lower-tier items.
Phase Five monsters are only effective when there is not a significant power disparity between the summoner and the target.
The protagonist possesses enough power to potentially use the Instant Death Pressure Point on living humans, though he chooses not to.
The effects of paralysis potions are mitigated by the user’s base level of internal Dungeon Energy.
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Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Kosaka – Kosaka is the arrogant, competitive leader of the KSK Three brothers. Outwardly a seasoned A-Rank explorer, he hides a lewd, criminal nature and harbors a bitter vendetta against the protagonist. He uses dungeon items, monsters, and a hostage, Aina, for combat advantages. Formerly an academy student and secret ninja for Haruka, he was defeated by adventurers and is now confined to forced labor.
• Guild Master – As the S-Rank Mayor of New Tokyo and Explorer Guild leader, this authoritative, artificially created woman combines androgynous beauty with curled red hair, a muscular build, and a wild smile. Having fled a destroyed world to fight Phase Five monsters, she manages the Dungeon City, protects locals, co-strategizes with her ally Kanade, and feels deeply responsible for the younger adventurers.
• Master – An artificially created, androgynous-beautied woman and former S-Class Dungeon Explorer who now holds the title of guild leader and Master of a hyper-advanced dungeon. Originating from a world destroyed by a deity, she administers the dungeon for locals, oversees strategic planning for the city’s future, and manages the utilization of unique dungeon materials.
• Guild – A male Guild Master who leads the administration of the dungeon city New Tokyo. He is serious and focused on the survival and relocation of the populace.
• Dungeon – An artificially‑created, androgynous‑beautied woman, once an S‑Class Dungeon Explorer, now serves as the Guild Master of the Dungeon Explorer Guild. She administers a hyper‑advanced dungeon, leading and guiding its members, and is known as the Dungeon Master, wielding authority that shifts with each dungeon phase, her beaming smile a constant hallmark.
• Kosaka-eldest – The eldest brother of the KSK trio who summons a Black Dragon.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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